Brett noob w/ questions

[Coff]

Not even in serving lines?

 

[Burgs]

The little Duvel bottles are awesome. I was saving those for a while too but I think they may have ended up getting recycled.

 

[Burgs]

I don't know why but kegging a brett beer just sounds weird to me.

 

[dcp27]

ive yet to have an issue and right now im sharing the same line between several beers til I get my new keezer. if your lines are kinda beat up it might be an issue, but PBW or some other CIP and then sanitizer should be sufficient

 

[Coff]

On the ride home from work I was trying to figure out why we need thick walled bottles for a 100% Brett ferment. If it acts like sacch when used as the primary strain the. We really should have to worry right? Since The Brett has been trained to ferment more simple sugars and not the long chain sugars?

I could be way off base but I'm trying to lay out a plan for my now 20 gallons of Brett and or sour beer fermenting.

 

[Burgs]

I think it depends more on what volume you want to carbonate it to, right? If you want it big and effervescent, then the thicker ones make sense - but I'm not sure how suitable that is for brett beers in general, as I'm a noob to all of this.

 

[Coff]

I was thinking the same thing, with mine Id prefer a softer carbonation so maybe I can get away with a standard 12 oz bottle.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

You don't need thick bottles if you are willing to wait for fermentation to end. Brett can take 8-10 months to completely stop in an all brett fermentation.

 

[Coff]

I plan on going at least 6-8 weeks, but I'll be checking the gravity a few times over the course so I think I might be ok with some standard bottles carbed to 2.7 vols.

 

[Coff]

Dusty white Pellicile on my 100% Brett C Bitter.

 

[Burgs]

Interesting, I will check mine out again but I don't think I have anything like that sitting on top. It's actually fairly clear at this point too, but there's constant positive pressure on the airlock and I always see little co2 jets rising up. Gotta get something else brewed so I can leave this alone for a few months!

 

[Coff]

I couldnt agree more, I need to brew something with a quick turnaround so I can ignore this damn thing. Ive been obsessing over it.

Im glad I snapped that photo bc I had a pipe burst in my bathroom and had to move the fermenter somewhere else while there is work being done in there. So unfortunately I broke that pellicle but it will reform quick. It has almost no activity though, no bubble shooting up, not airlock activity, almost completely still so I dont think Im too far from being done.

 

[Burgs]

Speaking of next batches...

I have a grain bill weighed out from a 2.5 gallon batch I was planning on doing. I am going to start doing larger batches, and since I can't separate all this out - I'm going to have to use what I've got.

4.5 lbs Belgian Pils
1.0 lbs Vienna
4 oz Belgian Biscuit
4 oz Aromatic

I am thinking about turning it into a dubbel:

11.0 lbs. Belgian Pils
1.0 lbs. Vienna
6 oz Caramel 120L
4 oz Belgian Biscuit
4 oz Aromatic

I have 1lb of D-45 amber candi syrup that I would like to add at the end of the boil. A couple of questions:

1. Do you guys think 7.2% candi syrup is enough for a dubbel?
2. Is the D-45 acceptable vs. a darker syrup like D-90

Second part of my idea is this - what if I split this in half and ferment half with my Brett C. yeast cake? For people that are doing 100% Brett primaries - if I check the gravity on my currently-fermenting pale/blonde batch and I have 70-something% attenuation, would it be ok to take it off the cake? I would not bottle it at that point, in case there was still enough yeast in suspension to eat a few more gravity points.

 

[Sebas83]

+1 on the Brett C split batch.

The candi sugar is just there for fermentability. If it gets you to your OG, you're good.

 

[kingwood-kid]

For all-Brett beers, you don't need special bottles or extreme patience. I bottled a Brett C ale 2-3 weeks after brewday in Mexican Coke bottles. That was over a year ago, and the bottles haven't exploded and don't foam over upon opening. I don't really like the beer, but that's not the point.

With Brett as a secondary yeast, you still don't have to wait a year to bottle, just until you are 100% sure the gravity has stabilized. The flavor will continue to evolve even after the gravity stops dropping. If you're worried about bombs & gushers, it's not a bad idea to add a little less sugar than you otherwise might. I've bottled a month after adding Brett B Orval Dregs, and everything turned out fine.

 

[bjohnson29]

Hey guys, I brewed a 100% Brett L beer and gravity dropped from 1056 to 1015 in 2 weeks. I was kind of surprised since most hope their beer finishes in 4-6+ weeks. Im planning on leaving it on the brett for another 1-2 weeks, then packaging. Thoughts? Also, keg or bottle?

 

[kingwood-kid]

I vote bottle, so you can see how it changes over time. Plus, you'd hate to tie up a keg with something you'll probably only have one of at a time.

 

[Burgs]

I took a sample of my batch over the weekend - gravity was at 1.010. Tasted pretty much like the Northern Brewer Patersbier recipe. Not surprising, I guess, since both are mostly Pilsner malt and noble hops. Will probably leave it alone for a while longer & see what happens.

 

[Burgs]

Oh, and people complain about bottle-conditioned homebrews giving you gas if you drink the sediment? Drinking a yeasty sample from a carboy is waaaay worse. I dropped bombs on the wife all day... she was not pleased.

 

[dcp27]

The candi sugar is just there for fermentability. If it gets you to your OG, you're good.

the darker candi sugars definitely add flavor as well, its not just a fermentability thing

Hey guys, I brewed a 100% Brett L beer and gravity dropped from 1056 to 1015 in 2 weeks. I was kind of surprised since most hope their beer finishes in 4-6+ weeks.

mine are usually like 99% done within 2weeks, but tend to take another 2 weeks to fully clear and trickle down a lil more. its also kinda like any other yeast, just cuz its done fermenting in that time, doesnt mean its ready.

Plus, you'd hate to tie up a keg with something you'll probably only have one of at a time.

why would you drink it any less than others?

 

[Burgs]

the darker candi sugars definitely add flavor as well, its not just a fermentability thing

Thanks, that's kind of what I was wondering - if using the lighter colored sugar in a dubbel will give me enough of the caramel/toffee flavors that I want.

Have you used D-45 much?

 

[dcp27]

Have you used D-45 much?

no, I like D2 the most so I usually stick with that or make my own.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/20-lb-sugar-jar-yeast-nutrient-114837/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/candi-syrup-experiment-trying-clone-d2-220882/

since you're adding the C120 I think it'll work out tho. definitely curious to hear how it works out.

 

[Burgs]

I'm definitely going to split the dubbel and ferment half with the brett c. By the time my new kettle/burner gets here, it will have been on that yeast for a month, so I don't think there will be any harm in moving it to a clean carboy so I can borrow the cake underneath.

 

[kingwood-kid]

.
why would you drink it any less than others?

Brett beers don't strike me as something I'd want to drink several of. I suppose that's just personal taste. If you have a brett beer good enough to session, job well done sir.

 

[bovineblitz]

Brett beers don't strike me as something I'd want to drink several of. I suppose that's just personal taste. If you have a brett beer good enough to session, job well done sir.

Cambridge Brewing Co has one on tap right now that I could drink all day. Crazy good all brett beer.

 

[Coff]

Burgs, I'll likely be bottling at the 5 1/2 week mark. I took a reading and its the same it was 2 weeks ago but Im still going to let it go another week.

Might there be a trade in our future?

 

[Burgs]

Yeah, definitely. You have a bit of a head start on me though.

 

[Burgs]

How is your batch tasting, Coff?

 

[Coff]

I post my notes later tonight when I get home.

 

[Coff]

You know, I've never actually had a 100% Brett beer before so I really don't know what flavors I'm looking for in this beer. I took another reading and drank a sample yesterday, 1.012 same as week 2. I really think this thing is ready.

So it was a 12 gallon batch of Jamil's ESB that I fermented in 3 different ways, Burton Ale, 100% Brett C, and just 1 gallon with 1056 as a control. At this point I don't taste much of a difference between the Brett C batch and the 1056 batch. The Brett beer tastes great, a little bit of roast, slightly bitter but settles softly on the palate. Maybe someone can guide me on what I'm looking for, the beer tastes very good but I'm not tasting anything different.